Turbine bottle-washer.



No. 820,749. PATENTED MAY-15, 1906. T. L. VALBRIUS.

TURBINE BOTTLE WASHER.

APPLIGATION FILED 1350.15, 1904.

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'IHEODORE lVALERIUS, OF FORT ATKINSON, WISCONSIN, ASSIGNOR TO THE CREAMERY PACKAGE "MFG, COMPANY, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, A

TURBINE BOTTLE-WASHER.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented May 15, 1906.

Application filed December 15,1904. Serial No. 236,982.

enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

My invention relates to machines forwashing bottles, and has special reference to washers of that class wherein the washerebrush is driven by a steam-turbine. Quite a number of such washers have been placed upon the market from time to time in the hope of providing a simple self-contained washer, avoiding the annoyances of a belt-drive, and securing a device that would not be detrimentally or ruinously affected by the washing fluid employed in cleaning bottles; but so far as I am informed the manufacturers of such machines have almost without exception withdrawn them from the market and the users have discontinued the use of the machines because of the many and serious accidents sustained by users. When a bottle is placed over the rapidly-rotating brush of a turbinewasher, the speed thereofy is much reduced, to be greatly increased when the bottle is removed. Again, these machines have beenused in direct connection with small steam-boilers, with the result that even though the throttlevalve of the turbine is carefully adjusted an increase of boiler-pressure will cause a tremendous increase in the speed of the machine. Machines of this class, of commercial necessity, cheap in construction, have not infrequently burst because the centrifugal force developed by the rotation of the turbinewheel has exceeded the strength of the metal composing it. In consequence turbine bottle-washers have come to be regarded as extremely dangerous and unusable, although acknowledged to be both exceptionally efIicient and most convenient and easy to operate.

The object of this 'invention is to provide a simple, efficient, and perfectly safe turbine- .washer and to this end my invention resides in a machine that comprises a casing provided with a steam-nozzle and an exhaust in combination with a turbine-wheel mounted on a shaft in said casing, a brush-holder on said shaft and a centrifugal or other rotatively-operated automatic brake operatively interposed between the wheel and the casing and adapted to positively and reliably prevent the rotation of the wheel at more than a "given maximum speed, so that even though the steam-throttle of the turbine is opened wide and there occurs a considerable increase of steam-pressure the wheel may not rotate at more than a safe speed, all danger from that source being eifectually avoided; and, further, my invention consists in various details of construction and in combinations of parts, all as hereinafter described, and par ticularly pointed out in the claims.

My invention will `be more readily understood by reference to the accompanying drawings, wherein like referencenumerals indicate the same parts throughout, and in which-- Figure 1 is a longitudinal vertical section of a turbine bottle-washer embodying my invention. Fig. 2 is a transverse vertical section of the lower part of the machine on the line 2X 2x of Fig. l, showing the turbinewheel pockets or flights, the steam nozzle or jet, and the exhaust cavity and opening. Fig. 3 is an enlarged face view of an automatic brake device of the construction which I prefer to employ, and Fig. 4 is a sectional view of the brake' on the line 45 AY of Fig. 3.

That form of my novel turbine bottlewasher which is here shown is that which I have determined by experiment to be at once safe, reliable, efficient, and economical; but it is to be, and from what follows will be, understood that my invention is capable of embodiment in other forms and is not coniined to the special construction and machine herein illustrated.

While my invention extends to many of the structural details, all of value, the gist thereof resides in the combination of casing, Wheel, and automatic brake, which latter when properly adjusted absolutely prevents the attainment of a dangerous speed from any cause whatsoever.

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Referring now to the drawings, 2 repre sents the casing, substantially circular in form, but having a suitable base 3. The front end of the casing contains an opening large enough to admit the turbine-'wheel 4, and said opening is closed by the circular the wheel.

plate 5. rlhe back of the casing is provided with a bearing-boss 6, and the plateA 5 has a similar bearing-boss 7. The boss 6 is closed at the outer end `and contains a simple thrustbearing for the wheel-shaft 8, said bearing comprising a single ball 9 and the set-screw 10. The ball engages the set-screw and the shaft at single points. Both bosses 6 7 contain bushings 6 7, providing neat bearings for the shaft. A The inner walls of the turbinecase are provided with properly-faced surfaces 2 5, against which the hub 4 of the wheel runs and by which longitudinal movement of the wheel is prevented. The wheel is secured upon the shaft by one or more setscrews 4. Oil-cup pipes 11 11 are provided for the shafts bearings. The oil-cups are not shown. The periphery of the wheel 4 is serrated, as indicated in Fig. l and shown in Fig. 2. Theinterior of thecasing is of greater diameter than the wheel, except at one point, 3, at the bottom of the casing, where the wall of the casing stands close to the periphery of This portion contains the steam jet yor nozzle 12, to which the steam-supply pipe 13 is connected.

14 represents the steam expansion and exhaust cavity in the base of the casing, and 15 is the exhaust-opening to which 'the exhaustpipe 'is usually connected. When steam is admitted to the nozzle, it impinges upon the projections of the turbine-wheel and causes the same to rotate at a speed proportional to the velocity-of 'the steam. All water of condensation collects i'n the pocket 14 and is discharged through the exhaust-opening.

The shaft 8 lextends a considerable distance beyond the end of the bearing 7, vand this end 8 =o'f the shaft `is considerably larger than the remainder thereof. A `hole 8aL is drilled into 4the large portion of the shaft. (See dotted lines, Fig. 1.) Atransverse'sawcut 8b 'anda longitudinal saw-cut 8c are then made in the shaft yto form la separate clamping part or gib 8d, secured by a 4ring 8e, containing `a set-screw 8f. The internal diameter ofthe ring is greater than the diameter of the part 8, and the clamp Vthus constituted is adapted 'to receive brush stems or shafts 16 ofdifferent sizes. The bottle-washing brush 17 may partake'of-different shapes, according to the kinds of bottles that are to be washed. When the lend of the brush-shaft is thrust into the opening inthe turbine-shaft and the set-screw tightened, 'the brush will be rigidly held in true alinement with vthe turbine-shaft.

prefer to mount -the automatic brake above referred to 'upon the'end 8 of the shaft 8, and-as the brake device must coperate with Tthe stationary casing I at once provide a coperating part andra housing for the brake by forming a largeicylindrical boss 18 on the casing-plate 5. The internal walls 1`8of the boss or sleeve are turned to the form of a true cylinder that is concentric with theshaft 8.

having a boss or sleeve 21 secured to the shaft part 8 by a set-screw 21". Pivotally mounted on the face ofthe disk nare two arms 22 22, having weights 23 at their ends and carrying-blocks 24, of wood or like material. 25 25 are the pivots of the arms, and 26 26 are adjustable springs for opposing the outward throw of the brake-blocks 24. The springs have their ends hooked upon the free ends of the arms 22 and are made adjustable by the screws and nuts 27 28, held in llugs 29 on the disk 21. Each arm is preferably provided with a thin web 23', having a curved slot 23 and held loosely-against the disk by the head of the screw 30, fastened in the disk. The metal blocks or weights 23 are preferably integral withtheir arms 22,-and theouter side-of eachcontains a groove or channel 24, the'walls of which, together with screws`24, (see dotted lines,) firmly hold the wooden brake-blocks. The heads -of the screws are sunk deeply into the wooden blocks to provide for wear in said blocks. I prefer to provide the disk with edge notches 21 so that the wooden blocks 24 may be made wider than the parts 23 without interfering with thedisk. The tension-springs of this brake device are-so adjusted vthat they hold the brake-blocks out of engagement with the cylindrical Walls of 'the boss 18 until a predetermined safe limit `of speed is reached or exceeded. When `the speed of the turbine-wheel and shaft 8 `becomes excessive, the centrifugal 'force developed in the radially-movable brake-blocks will overcome the force of the springs 26, and said blocks will `be pressed against the friction-surface 18 on the vcasing-boss, thereby retarding land checking the speed of the turbine-wheel. It will be obvious that the braking effect of the rotating brake-blocks will be directly proportional `to the tendency of the turbine-wheel to rotate atan excessive speed, and the automatic brake therefore positively and reliably prevents the attainment of-a dangerous speed-that is, -a speed IOC which would eopardize `the structure of the ISO a proper speed rather than to permit the speed to become excessive. When a bottle, such as a milk-bottle, partly lled with washing fluid is thrust upon the brush 17, the rotation of the brush may be slightly checked provided the pressure of steam is low 5 but when the bottle is withdrawn the automatic brake will prevent a sudden and dangerous increment of speed which might otherwise cause disaster.

It is obvious that numerous modifications of my invention, which will readily suggest themselves to one skilled in the art, may be made without departing from the spirit of the invention, and therefore I do not confine my invention to the specific constructions herein shown and described.

Having thus described my invention, I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patentp 1. In a turbine bottle-washer, a casing having a steam-nozzle and an exhaust-opening, in combination with a turbine-wheel in said casing, a wheel-shaft having bearings in said casing, a brush-holder on said shaft and a friction-brake arranged on said shaft and' adapted to engage a part of said casing, and thereby retard the rotation of said wheel when. the speed thereof equals a given number of revolutions per minute, substantially as described.

2. In a turbinebottle-washer of the class described, a casing having a suitable base, the axis of which is horizontal and which is provided with a steam-inlet nozzle and an exhaust-opening, in combination with a shaft mounted in said casing, a turbine-wheel mounted on said shaft, a brush-clamp on said shaft and a centrifugally-actuated automatic brake having its rotary part arranged for rotation with said wheel and its stationary part a part of said casing, substantially as described.

3. In a turbine bottle-washer comprising a suitable casing, in combination with a turbine-wheel, a shaft having a brush-holder, a boss on said casing and concentric with said shaft and a centrifugally-operated brake device mounted on said shaft for engagement with said boss, substantially as described.

4. In a turbine bottle-washer, a turbinecasing, a turbine wheel and shaft, said casing `having an external hollow boss or sleeve 18 that is` concentric with said shaft, a disk mounted on said shaft within said boss and centrifugal brake-blocks carried by said. disk and adapted to be moved outwardly into engagement with said boss by the excessive speed of said wheel and shaft, substantially as described.

5. In a turbine bottle-washer, a casing, shaft and wheel, in combination with a centrifugal brake device mounted on said shaft, and a boss formed integrally with said casing and inciosing said device, substantially as described.

6. In a turbine `bottle-washer, a casing, having a removable end and a hollow boss formed on said end, in combination with a shaft mounted in said casing, conccntrically with said boss, a turbine-wheel on said shaft, a centrifugal brake device mounted on the portion of said shaft that is within said boss, and removable end or cap closing the open end of said hollow boss, substantially as described.

7. In a turbine bottle-washer, a casing having bearings in its sides, in combination with the turbine wheel and shaft in said bearings, whereon said wheel is mounted, an external sleeve or boss on the side of said casing concentric with said shaft and centrifugal friction-blocks mounted on said shaft within said sleeve and. boss adapted to frictionally engage the latter to prevent excessive rotation of said shaft, substantially as described.

8. In a turbine bottle-washer, a casing having bearings in its sides, in combination with a shaft, a turbine-wheel mounted. thereon, a stationary sleeve on the exterior of said casing and concentric with said shaft, a disk mounted on the shaft within said sleeve and spring returned centrifugal brake blocks mounted on said disk for engagement with the inner surface of said sleeve, for the purpose specified.

In testimony whereof witness myhand, this 29th day of November, 1904, at Fort Atkinson, Jefferson county, I/Visconsin, in the presence of two witnesses.

, THEODORE L. VALERIUS.

I/Vitnesses BEN L. KINNEY, H. J. KELLoeG.

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